Promises
by Madame Batolli
Summary: A collection of vignettes from the point of view of each character as they reflect on the past, and on Aeris.
1. Promises

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII or any of the characters, and I'm not making any money from this.  
  
Promises  
  
At the entrance to the City Of The Ancients, a young man stood. Brassy strands of hair swayed in the cold breeze, glowing blue eyes seemed to stare through everything in their path, seeing only that place. That crystalline lake which held her, which held a fallen angel.  
  
'Why, Aeris? Why did you fall? You......you promised me you'd come back....'  
  
Promises. At one time, the word had such meaning to it. But now, it sounded hollow, insincere. Cloud walked forward, hesitantly. Even though he hadn't returned here in a while, still, he sensed it. That sick, eerie feeling he had felt when he first came to this place.  
  
But there was a reason then. Him. Sephiroth.  
  
'What are you saying? Are you trying to tell me that you have feelings too?'  
  
The words had cut him like a knife. A frown crossed over Cloud's features, and he continued on his way. The whole place had an aura of death around it, a cold, lifeless feeling. It was completely silent, apart from the sound of his breathing, and his booted feet as they made clicking noises on the stony ground. He couldn't help but feel uneasy.  
  
Ahead of him was the largest building, the shell house that still held that glowing green orb, far below, in the shimmering water right in the depths of the city. The white materia. Holy.  
  
He could remember it so clearly, the way that the Holy magic and Meteor fought it out over the heads of the people in Midgar. He remembered that sinking feeling he had felt as he realised that if Meteor was triumphant, then Aeris would have died for nothing. And all the people on the planet...  
  
Then how his eyes had widened at the glowing green ribbons of light, suddenly appearing, dancing across the horizon, a shimmering swell of energy, filled with all the souls of the Planet. The Lifestream had saved them all. And he could have sworn that he had seen her smiling face as Meteor was finally overcome. He'd realised, then, that Aeris was the true saviour of the planet. He and Avalanche had simply helped her along the way.  
  
Even though he was tired, he willed his body to carry on, taking a last look at the scene in front of him, and then going right at the crossroads. Here there were more shell houses, but these were smaller, and not in as good condition. The nearest was empty, but the other one housed a few beds, where he had slept last time he had come here.  
  
"Aeris."  
  
He murmured her name softly as he approached the spiral building.  
  
That chance meeting with her, crashing through the splintered wood, the roof of the church in the slums of Midgar, soft pink flowers breaking his fall. How he had opened his eyes to see hers smiling back at him. How he had stared into those emerald green eyes, almost able to see her soul.  
  
Sighing, Cloud sank to the ground, leaning against the wall of the house for support. He was exhausted, and his breath came out in ragged, short gasps. Resting his sword against the wall, he closed his eyes.  
  
A young woman knelt on the marble altar of the City Of The Ancients, her hands clasped together in prayer. Reflections of the water below moved slowly across her features. Her honey brown hair fell around her face, a couple of strands fluttering as she breathed. Her eyes were closed in concentration, and a look of serenity was on her face. She was unaware of her surroundings now, so deep was her concentration. The blonde man climbed up the stepping-stones, one by one, making his way up to her, a feeling of dread clutching at his heart with icy fingers with each step closer to her he took. Stopping on the ledge in front of her, his brow suddenly furrowed in confusion, and he took a step back, shaking his head. Time seemed to slow as he took up his sword and ascended the final steps, and with just a few more strides was in front of her.  
  
"Some day we'll look back on these hard times and laugh."  
  
The woman did not stir; her eyes remained closed as she concentrated on willing her prayers to reach the Planet. Her lips moved almost imperceptibly as she silently mouthed the words. The blonde man raised his sword high in the air, a blank look in his eyes. He was just a puppet now, a being controlled by a higher power. The sword faltered in the air for a fleeting few seconds, then began its descent.  
  
  
  
"Some day I'll get out of Midgar...and find my Promised Land. That's what mother said."  
  
Still the woman did not move. Even as the blade made its way for her head, she did not move.  
  
"Cloud!"  
  
"Stop it!"  
  
His eyes suddenly became bright again, the life restored to them. He was a puppet no longer. Realising what he was doing, he hastily stopped the sword just short of the woman's head, stepping backwards and scraping the tip of the blade along the marble ground.  
  
"Wh..... what are you making me do?"  
  
Only then, did she stir, raising her head and opening those brilliant emerald eyes. She stared directly at Cloud, her hair shifting slightly with the movement. He looked back at her; the feeling of dread more prominent than ever now, almost stopping him from breathing by the way it tightened his throat. She smiled gently, not moving from her position, not taking her eyes from his. And then the reason for Cloud's dread manifested itself.  
  
An angel of death, his Mako green eyes glittering with malice, his long, silver hair whipping around his face, and the hilt of his Masamune clasped between his palms.  
  
He flew down, aiming the shining blade at just the right angle. The light played across the metal, almost giving it an unearthly glow.  
  
"Then, I'll be going now. I'll come back when it's all over."  
  
And still, the flower girl smiled.  
  
The buster sword slipped sideways, falling to the ground with a clatter, and its owner was jolted out of sleep. Cloud drew in a sharp breath, his eyes wide with shock.  
  
'Just a dream. So often I have that same dream.'  
  
His surroundings were now dim, darkness had fallen across the city, and night was upon him.  
  
He stood up shakily, looking around, a little disorientated from his slumber. Leaving the shell house, he began walking to the entrance again. This time, he would go to see her. So many times he had come here, but he had never been able to bring himself to pass that lake, go into that building and down those stairs, never been able to go into the city and stand on that altar. But now, he would go.  
  
He looked forward, a determination in his eyes that he had not shown since that final encounter with Sephiroth. Then he took a deep breath and continued on his way. The buster sword, which had roused him from sleep, lay on the ground, forgotten.  
  
It had been a miserable day. As soon as Cloud opened his eyes he had known it was raining. The room he had booked in the Kalm Town inn had been dingy when he had awoken, and as he turned to the window, he could see nothing of the outside world. It had been only a haze of blurred colours, the showers running down the window - panes distorting it. The rain had lashed down violently, stinging his hands and face as he left the inn. Storm clouds veiled the weak rays of sunshine that had managed to get through, casting a dark shadow over the landscape. He had not even noticed it; his only thoughts were those of the City of the Ancients, wondering if he would summon up the courage to enter. Why did he feel so averse to going there? Was it guilt? Guilt over something beyond his control, Tifa had said.  
  
When he had arrived at Bone Village, the excavators were nowhere to be seen, maybe because of the weather. If they had been there, what would they have thought upon seeing him? A well-built man, his dark blue clothes clinging to his muscular figure, soaking wet, his blonde spikes drooping around his face. And eyes of the strangest shade of blue, glowing, almost. A huge sword strapped to his back. Most people would have tried not to meet his gaze; so intimidating was his appearance today. His expression was emotionless, blank, almost detached. But there was a reason. If only they knew.  
  
"I'm here, Aeris" Cloud whispered. He was walking down the crystal staircase now, into the depths of the city. With each step, he wanted to turn back, to leave the city, to return to Kalm Town and pretend that none of this had ever happened. But somehow, he found the strength to keep going. The marble altar was now visible, the unearthly light still shimmering on it, with no indication that anyone had ever knelt there praying for the planet. No indication that anyone had stood and only been able to watch as...  
  
Cloud pushed those thoughts out of his mind. He had now reached the bottom of the stairs, and was standing in front of the stepping-stones. Down here, the air was sweet and fresh, he found it a lot easier to breathe. And surprisingly, the aura surrounding the place was not that of death, as Cloud had feared. It was that of peace, of hope. There was silence here too, but it did not make him uneasy as it had done above. He felt as if someone was with him, by his side, as he ascended the stepping-stones once again. A veil of light illuminated the altar as Cloud arrived on the ledge, and he took a few breaths as he walked onto the marble surface and leant on the small fence encircling it.  
  
He looked down into the calm water, remembering how he had faintly heard Holy splash into it. Something caught his eye as it floated downstream. A pink ribbon.  
  
Aeris' ribbon.  
  
His eyes widened as he watched it, moving slowly on the surface of the water.  
  
It began to float out of sight, and Cloud leapt up, his eyes wide, racing down the steps to meet it. He knelt by the water's edge and reached out his hand, drawing out the ribbon as it drifted by. Crystalline droplets of water splashed onto the ground as Cloud stared at the shining material in wonder.  
  
'It's still here.'  
  
Standing on the altar seemed to give him a strange feeling of peace now. The last time he had been here, peace had been the furthest thing from his mind. But now...was Aeris doing this? Calming him? Was she here right now? She couldn't be, could she?  
  
A breeze, seemingly from nowhere, played with the few strands of his hair that had fallen into his eyes thanks to the rain. Cloud looked around, confused. He could have sworn he'd heard her then, her voice in the wind, only a whisper of his name, but still, he had heard it. He looked down at the ribbon in his hand, and slowly, realisation dawned on him. Aeris. She was here. She had never left his side in the first place.  
  
"Cloud?"  
  
Tifa's voice echoed around the walls, and Cloud turned to face her. She stood a little way away from him, holding his sword in her right hand, her eyes downcast.  
  
"I was worried about you, Cloud," she said quietly.  
  
"Tifa..."  
  
"Cloud, you have to.... you have to let her go" Tifa said hesitantly. She stared at Cloud, trying to gauge his reaction.  
  
Cloud looked over at her. He could see the pain in her eyes, and the way she glanced at the altar every now and then made him realise something.  
  
'She feels the same as I do' he thought. 'She misses Aeris just as much as I do, and I haven't even noticed. She's tried to comfort me, and I accepted that, but I didn't realise that she needed my comfort, just like I needed hers. I've only been thinking about myself.' He smiled gently.  
  
"I'm sorry, Tifa."  
  
Tifa gazed at him in surprise.  
  
"Cloud? What do you mean?"  
  
He walked over to her, holding out the ribbon, which was fluttering slightly in the breeze.  
  
"Here. I think...I think that Aeris would want you to have this."  
  
Tifa's hand shook as she took the ribbon from him, and tears welled up in her deep brown eyes.  
  
"Tifa, come on. Let's go."  
  
"But Cloud...what made you change your mood so suddenly?" she asked, smoothing down her dark hair.  
  
"I realised something. Aeris has come back. She told me she'd come back when it was all over, but I was too blind to see it"  
  
He took his sword from her and put it back in its sheath.  
  
"In fact, she never even left. She's always been here in spirit. With me...I mean, with us. Can't you feel her, right now?"  
  
Tifa nodded, the tears finally spilling down her face. She'd kept them bottled up for weeks, trying to be strong, to be strong for Yuffie, to be strong for Cloud. Holding the ribbon tightly, Tifa closed her eyes.  
  
'Thank you, Aeris' she said silently, entwining the pink material around her fingers.  
  
Cloud turned back to the altar, smiling properly for the first time in months.  
  
"Aeris, I'm sorry I didn't see you until now." he murmured, lowering his eyes. He glanced at Tifa, who simply gazed back at him in wonder. Turning around again, he closed his eyes, thinking of the young woman who had won his heart, even though they had only spent a short amount of time together.  
  
"Strange, what fate does to a person isn't it, Tifa?" he said quietly. She nodded, understanding.  
  
Smiling, he ran a hand through his golden hair, and took one last look at the peaceful scene in front of him.  
  
"I'll always love you, Aeris. And I'll never forget you again. I promise."  
  
As she watched her two friends leave the city, the flower girl smiled.  
  
"I know, Cloud. I know."  
  
  
  
A/N: Well, I hope you liked reading the story, I really enjoyed writing it and I'd love to know what everyone thinks of it. So please could you review for me? I don't mind criticism, as long as it's constructive and helps me to improve on my work. Anyway, yeah, I'd really appreciate any feedback you have. Thank you! 


	2. Reflections

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy or any of the characters and I'm not making any money from this.  
  
  
  
Reflections – Part One  
  
In the village of Wutai, the evening sun sank in the sky. The sunsets here were always so beautiful, pinks and purples tinting the clouds, casting dark shadows over the village. Yuffie loved to watch the sun go down each night, and rise up each morning. It gave her a sense of reassurance, that no matter what happened in her life, there was something she could always count on, something that would always happen. Tonight, though, she didn't watch. Instead, she lay on her futon, tears stinging her eyes, thinking. Thinking of Aeris Gainsborough. Of that night, when the flower girl had given up her life for the planet. That night Yuffie had changed. When she had first joined Avalanche, as a treacherous young thief, she had simply been in it for the materia. And she had got what she wanted. Cloud had given her all of it, and now it lay in the closet, collecting dust. Even the fabled Knights Of The Round, with its unfathomable power, was forgotten. She just couldn't bring herself to use it. She remembered the look in Cloud's eyes as he had handed it over. He had put on that dull, emotionless look he was so good at. But she could see the pain in his eyes as he handed over the mastered Revive materia. It was the one Aeris had bought in Junon. Cloud had insisted on using it himself, he wouldn't allow anyone else to even touch it, as if it still had a little part of the flower girl's spirit inside it. Now it had pride of place in an embroidered, pink silk covered box on Yuffie's nightstand. For some reason it comforted her. Aeris had told Cloud once that the Holy materia had made her feel safe, even though she had never used it. She had thought that it just didn't do anything, but just having it made her feel safe, as it was her mother's.  
  
Fiercely rubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand, the young ninja silently berated herself. She was the daughter of Lord Godo, the heroine of Wutai village, after all that she and Avalanche had done; she had become the idol of many a little girl. But it wasn't what she wanted. If she could trade all of it, just to have Aeris Gainsborough back with them again, she gladly would.  
  
While travelling with Avalanche, she had grown to see Aeris and Tifa as older sisters. She was an only child, and had been quite lonely growing up, alone in the house while her father prepared for the war. Aeris and Tifa had taken her under their wing, and on the journey, there had been many a night when they would stay up, talking of nothing and everything, about life, and love, and their hopes for the future. Yuffie had noticed that Aeris was most enthusiastic talking about her future, her emerald eyes would light up as she told the other two about how she had planned to travel around the world, how she had planned to make money by travelling from town to town selling her flowers. About how now she was finally getting to do what she had always wanted. She had seemed so happy, As Yuffie recalled, that conversation had been in the Costa del Sol inn, where they had rested before moving on to the Gold Saucer. Two days before…  
  
"Stop it. Stop thinking about it" she said aloud. Her voice echoed around the empty room, and she fought back the tears once more. She had never felt so alone. There was no one she could talk to about this, no one would understand.  
  
Tifa had visited a few days ago, 'just to see how you are' she had said. Yuffie had lied, saying she was fine, and changed the subject to Cloud. As soon as she had mentioned his name, she had regretted it. Tifa's face fell, and she lowered her eyes.  
  
"I don't know where Cloud is," she had muttered. "He left a few days ago and I haven't seen him since"  
  
The conversation had stopped so abruptly after that, and an uncomfortable silence had ensued, before Tifa had made her excuses and left.  
  
Choking back a sob, Yuffie opened the box, which held the Revive materia. She took it out, her fingers shaking, and held it close to her. She could feel the warm glow as the magic housed in the green orb had coursed through her body. Her eyes dry, she took a deep breath and replaced the materia in the box, closing it again with a thoughtful look in her brown eyes. Standing up, Yuffie took up her ultimate shuriken, the Conformer, and opened her closet. Kneeling down, she sorted through the various materia, locating the Knights Of The Round, Lightning, Ice, Fire and Cure, then placed them into the slots on her weapon.  
  
'Enough of this moping around' the ninja thought to herself. 'It's time I moved on with my life. Forget about Avalanche. Who needs them? I did just fine before.'  
  
She secured her bandana in her dark hair. It had grown since her time with Cloud and the others, and now rested just below her shoulders.  
  
Pulling on her boots and lacing them up with a steely determination, Yuffie left the house, and set out to go wherever her feet took her.  
  
In the shadows next to the Pagoda of the Five Gods, a young man watched her go, his face expressionless. Long raven hair blew around his face as he stepped out of the shadows. His red cape fluttered in the night breeze, and after waiting a few seconds, he set off following the ninja, his feet making no sound on the ground as he quietly went on his way.  
  
A/N: Well, that's that chapter out of the way. So what is Yuffie going to do now? And who's that guy following her? (As if you don't know!) That's all for now, hope you enjoyed it! I'd love it if you could review it for me, it motivates me, hehe. Ja ne! 


	3. Memories

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII and I'm not making any money from this.  
  
Note: This chapter is dedicated to Tigerofthewind, who gave me the idea to write a Barret vignette next. I was gonna do Red XIII, but after you reviewed, I realised that you were right. Barret is a character that is never given enough depth in fanfiction. Or in the game, for that matter! So here's my take on what he would be thinking about if he had chance to reflect on his experiences. I hope I did okay!  
  
  
  
Chapter 3: Memories  
  
In the sleepy town of Kalm, Barret Wallace leaned on the ledge of his window, staring out into the dark. It was a remarkably clear night, and up above, the many stars twinkled at him. He gently rubbed his beard with one hand, contemplating on the past. How had things gotten to be like this? One minute, he was the leader of a tiny rebel group consisting of only himself, Tifa, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie. Then all of a sudden, Cloud had to drop into their lives and turn everything upside down. And all of a sudden, they weren't fighting against the Shinra any more. They were fighting something much worse. No, not something. Someone.  
  
He rested his chin on his hands, watching as a few people made their way through the town square to the pub. He wondered whether those people knew how much he and the rest of AVALANCHE had been prepared to sacrifice for them. Every single one of them had sacrificed something. But four people in particular had sacrificed more than anyone else ever could.  
  
Barret closed his eyes for a few seconds, remembering his fallen comrades. Jessie, the computer genius. She was one of those people you met and just...clicked with. Always there to help him when some piece of technology in the underground base had gone wrong, always trying to explain why they needed this and why they didn't need that. If it weren't for Jessie, AVALANCHE would have never got off the ground. It would have remained the vision of a man who should have been old enough to know better. Old enough to know better than to try and stand up against a huge conglomerate such as Shinra. But maybe it was the fact that he didn't know any better that made all the difference. If he'd given up trying, then the planet would have been destroyed. There wouldn't have been any AVALANCHE to stop Sephiroth.  
  
"We saved the world," he muttered softly. "We saved the world, but we lost some irreplaceable things along the way."  
  
There was Biggs too. The guy who always helped Tifa calm him down after someone did or said something that made him lose his temper. The calmest one of the group. The one who always tried to keep his head when there seemed to be no way out. The one who sat up with Barret late at night, drinking, talking about their dreams.  
  
"We're gonna do it one day, Barret." Biggs had said once. "One day, AVALANCHE's gonna save the world from that damn Shinra."  
  
Barret just wished his friend could have been there to help them fight, to stay up drinking with him, like old times.  
  
And Wedge. How could he forget Wedge? Not exactly the most graceful person, or indeed the most bright, but he was kind, always wanting to see what a person was truly like. Wedge always wanted to believe that people needed each other, he was always trying to get Cloud to open up more. He believed that there was more to the spiky haired ex- SOLDIER than just a brash, cold exterior.  
  
"Wedge, Biggs, Jessie, I owe you guys so much." Barret whispered to the sky. He hoped they knew, that they could hear him. He wondered, with a hint of amusement, what they would think upon seeing him now, seeing how much he'd changed from those days back in Midgar, dreaming of destroying the Shinra and freeing the people of the slums. Getting rid of all those damn reactors so the planet would survive.  
  
And that brought him onto thinking about her yet again. The one who could easily have been mistaken for an angel sent by the planet. The one who had saved the planet from Meteor. Sure, AVALANCHE had defeated Sephiroth, but Aeris Gainsborough, the last of the Ancients, she was the one who had defeated the Ultimate Destruction Magic. He had never got the chance to tell her how much he admired her. She was the one who had lifted everyone's spirits, when there was no hope, she had found something positive about the situation. She had smiled and laughed her way from Sector Five of Midgar to the Temple of the Ancients. And then, so suddenly, so abruptly, the laughter stopped. She was gone. And nothing anyone could do or say would change that.  
  
Barret would never forget that day, when he and the others had gone with Cloud to the City of the Ancients, determined to find Aeris and bring her back. Bring back her smile, her laughter, and those sparkling green eyes, regarding everything with childish enthusiasm. But they had failed. The angel had fallen, that day. Sephiroth, his masamune clutched between his palms, had descended from above and had severed her wings. And everything had gone grey. The world had seemed so different without her, so dull and monochrome. Barret had been devastated. She had done so much for him; she had saved his daughter's life when the Shinra had decided to crush Sector Seven. And without Marlene, he would have truly been lost. The child was his world. He had wanted to return the favour by helping to save Aeris. But they had been too late.  
  
"Daddy, look, I finished my picture!"  
  
Barret straightened up, turning to face the little girl. She smiled up at him, a crayon drawing clutched in her little hands.  
  
"Let me see." he said. Marlene held out the piece of paper. Her father took one look at it and his face broke into a grin. On the paper was a drawing of AVALANCHE, Vincent standing on the far right, his cape clumsily coloured in bright red to match his eyes, his long dark hair scribbled on. Next to him stood Tifa, her hands clasped in front of her, a big smile drawn on her face. Then came Cid, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, the smoke spiralling from it. Yuffie was next, holding her shuriken high above her head, grinning. Red XIII stood at her feet, looking off to the left at something. Cait Sith was next. Then there was himself, drawn bigger than anyone else, a huge grin on his face, and an arrow pointing to him saying 'My Daddy'. Cloud was drawn next to him, holding his Buster sword. Barret had to laugh at how Marlene had drawn his hair, yellow crayon sticking up all over the place.  
  
But that wasn't what he was smiling about. He was smiling about the other people present in the picture. For next to Cloud stood Aeris, one hand on his shoulder, the other holding a bunch of carefully drawn flowers. Her dress had been shaded lightly in pink. Marlene had got every detail right. Like everyone else, Aeris was smiling. And next to her, Biggs, Wedge and Jessie had been drawn, all three of them with huge grins. Everyone was there. His daughter hadn't forgotten anyone.  
  
'And neither will I' Barret thought to himself. 'Ever.'  
  
~~~~  
  
A/N: Well, it's been a long time since I did any work on this, ne? Regardless, I hope you enjoyed it, and please remember to review! *smiles* Right, I'd better start thinking about who I'm gonna do next..  
  
Aerith 


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